Criticizing Talents They Don’t Have

Shortly after Luciano Pavarotti’s passing, I read some carping about how he squandered his talent on “lower” forms of entertainment, like singing “I’m the Man” with James Brown.

Notwithstanding the common European roots of opera and American jazz, what business is it of anybody besides Luciano and his Lord how he used his God-given talents? Luciano will answer for it on Judgment Day. Not I, not anyone else. He made a good life for himself with his voice, and he donated his voice for many charity concerts, some of which he organized. I dare the naysayers and pikers to make the same claim about themselves.